A croquembouche is composed of profiteroles piled into a cone and bound with spun sugar. It may also be decorated with other confectionery such as sugared almonds, chocolate, and edible flowers. Sometimes it is covered in macarons or ganache.[2][3]

The invention of the croquembouche is often attributed to Antonin Carême,[4] who includes it in his 1815 cookbook Le Pâtissier royal parisien, but it is mentioned as early as 1806, in Alexandre Viard's culinary encyclopedia Le Cuisinier Impérial, and in Antoine Beauvilliers' 1815 L'Art du Cuisinier. In Viard's encyclopedia and other early texts (e.g. Grimod de La Reynière's, Néo-physiologie du gout), it is included in lists of entremets - elaborate dishes, both savory and sweet, that were served between courses during large banquets.

Croquembouche was one of the spoiled desserts that Gloria serves to the WJM news team and program director in "A New Sue Ann", the Season 5 episode of The Mary Tyler Moore Show. In a take-off on All About Eve, Sue Ann's show is hijacked by Gloria Munson (Linda Kelsey), who prepares a segment on French pastry. Sue Ann lets Gloria make the mistake of using unrefrigerated cream.

On 8 June 2009, Season 1 Episode 37 "5th Pressure Test Elimination" of MasterChef Australia (series 1) four out of eleven contestants baked a croquembouche made by Adriano Zumbo in 2 hours and 15 minutes. This challenge was repeated in the following seasons of the series. On 1 September 2014, Season 5, Episode 15 of the reality TV competition MasterChef, three out of the final six contestants baked an entire croquembouche in 90 minutes for their Pressure Test.